630,111 Shares in Ecolab Inc. $ECL Bought by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 630,111 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $175,555,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wexford Capital LP bought a new position in Ecolab in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Ecolab in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ecolab during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company’s stock.

Ecolab Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of ECL opened at $275.87 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. Ecolab Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.15 and a 1-year high of $309.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $275.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $273.67.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.57% and a return on equity of 22.72%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. Analysts expect that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Ecolab’s payout ratio is presently 39.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Darrell R. Brown sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.89, for a total value of $2,608,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 32,733 shares in the company, valued at $8,539,712.37. This represents a 23.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michel D. Doukeris bought 7,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $258.00 per share, with a total value of $1,999,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,148,108. This trade represents a 1,345.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Zacks Research cut shares of Ecolab from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ecolab from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of Ecolab in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $327.56.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.